Up, Up and Away (song)
| "Up, Up and Away" | |
|---|---|
| Single by The 5th Dimension | |
| from the album Up, Up and Away | |
| B-side | "Which Way to Nowhere" |
| Released | May, 1967 |
| Format | 7" 45 RPM |
| Recorded | April 1966-March 11, 1967 |
| Genre | Pop music |
| Length | 2:40 |
| Label | Soul City |
| Writer(s) | Jimmy Webb |
| Producer | Johnny Rivers, Marc Gordon |
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"Up, Up and Away" is a 1967 song written by Jimmy Webb and recorded by The 5th Dimension, that became a major pop hit, reaching #7 on the U.S. Pop Singles chart and #18 in Canada. The single peaked at #9 on Billboard's Easy Listening Top 40.
A canonical example of sunshine pop, themed around images of hot air ballooning, it cleaned up at the 10th Grammy Awards in 1968, winning for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, Other Pop/Rock&Roll/ Contemporary Awards or Instrumental, and the big prizes of Record of the Year and Song of the Year. Guitarist Al Casey was present on this recording, as was fellow "Wrecking Crew" drummer Hal Blaine.
In the United Kingdom, it was the Johnny Mann Singers' cover version that became the Top 10 hit, reaching No. 6 in August 1967. This version picked up a Grammy Award for Best Performance by a Chorus in 1968 and hit the US "Bubbling Under The Top 100" survey, as well as the Easy Listening chart.
Diana Ross & the Supremes recorded a version of the song in 1967 for their album Reflections.
Dionne Warwick recorded a version of the tune on her 1967 Valley Of The Dolls.
The Impressions released their version on their 1968 album We're a Winner.
Mrs. Miller sang a cover version in 1968 on her LP record Mrs. Miller Does Her Thing. She has been known for her renditions of popular songs and singing out of tune.
Several bars of this song were reprised in the Love Generation version of "Montage" (written by Webb for the movie "How Sweet It Is").
[edit] Cultural references
- The 5th Dimension recording was used in the film Born on the Fourth of July.
- Fred Norris of The Howard Stern Show uses a sitar-only cover of this song when discussing or introducing a guest of South Asian heritage.
- On one of the main menus for Homestar Runner, Strong Bad can be seen riding in a hot air balloon and reciting a fragment of the song.
- The song was used on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in a fifth season episode, "Grumpy Young Men", when Carlton tries to set the mood for a date; when Will hears it, and sees Carlton dancing to the song, Will asks, "What the hell are you doing?"
- Is used in the film Bridget Jones's Diary.
- Plays in episode 5 of the first season of Psych. Lassiter, while attempting to expose a murder suspect as a listener of "big-hair, drug induced music", unplugs his earphones so the speakers play instead, only to realize that the song playing is this one.
- The Muppet Show featured the song in a short sketch with Rowlf performing the song and singing the opening title line, only to have his candelabra on his piano interrupt him by literally launching into the air like a rocket.
[edit] External Links
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